This invention relates to the field of electronic commerce. More particularly, a system and methods are provided for electronic ticketing.
The use of tickets for sporting venues, entertainment events, travel and the like is no longer strictly a mechanical function. Ticketing systems have evolved to make use of computer systems in various phases of the ticket generation, issuance and validation processes.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,477, issued to Berson, a customer submits information concerning a desired ticket (e.g., scheduling data pertaining to an airline flight). A data processing system sends ticketing information and encrypted validation data to a local printing system. The local system prints the ticket, which includes the validating information encoded in a two-dimensional barcode. The customer presents the ticket at flight time, where a validating system scans the barcode, transforms the data from physical form into digital form and validates it. If valid, the customer receives his boarding pass, luggage claim checks, etc.
Berson, however, still requires the issuance of a paper ticket. Paper tickets are, of course, subject to theft, mutilation, destruction, loss, etc. In addition, a ticket produced according to the Berson system is necessarily good for only onetime use. The ticket is physically collected at the time of the flight. Two additional disadvantages exist with this scheme. First, the use of two-dimensional barcodes requires printers capable of producing, and barcode scanners capable of reading, such barcodes. Depending upon the number of sites at which tickets are printed or accepted, this may involve significant cost. Second, the use of cryptographic means to secure the validation information requires a sophisticated key management scheme.
In a modification of the Berson system, large random numbers may be used in place of cryptographic security. A particular random number is chosen and printed as a one-dimensional barcode on a physical ticket. The use of large numbers significantly decreases the chance of a person correctly guessing the number assigned to a particular ticket for a discrete event (e.g., airplane flight, entertainment event). The random numbers are stored in a database accessible to sites at which the tickets are used. When the ticket is presented at a site, the number on the ticket is compared to the list of valid numbers stored in the database. This scheme still possesses the disadvantages inherent in paper tickets, such as destruction or mutilation and the limitation to a single use. In addition, without further protection, the database of random numbers provides a single point of vulnerability. A person with access to the database could conceivably generate large quantities of bogus tickets,
In addition to the above disadvantages, known ticketing systems provide admission to only a single event or a single site. Also, a paper ticket issued by a known system is not generally modifiable without physically replacing the issued ticket. In other words, a person who wishes to visit or enjoy multiple events or multiple venues must carry and present a different ticket for each event or venue. As he or she makes plans to visit even more events or venues, additional paper tickets must be purchased and carried, thus increasing the risk of loss.